Category: News Stories

ALA Report Highlights UW-CTRI’s Medicaid Covers It Campaign

A new report from the national American Lung Association looked at 5 states’ approaches to promoting tobacco cessation benefits for Medicaid enrollees, including Wisconsin’s. The report, entitled “Approaches to Promoting Medicaid Tobacco Cessation Coverage: Promising Practices and Lessons Learned,” serves as a handbook on promoting tobacco cessation to Medicaid recipients. UW-CTRI partnered with the Wisconsin …

Smokers with Psychiatric Diagnoses Benefitted More from 16 Weeks of Medication than Those Without Such Diagnoses

It turns out that 16 weeks of quit-smoking medications improves quit rates, compared to 8 weeks of medications, for smokers with a history of psychiatric diagnoses, but not for those without such diagnoses in a recent UW-CTRI study. Dr. Megan Piper, UW-CTRI Associate Director of Research, presented results from the UW-Partnership to Assist and Serve Smokers (UW-PASS) Study …

Dr. Danielle McCarthy Returns to UW-CTRI as Associate Professor of Medicine

Dr. Danielle McCarthy has joined UW-CTRI as an Associate Professor of Medicine. She serves as an Associate Director of Research at UW-CTRI along with Associate Director of Research Dr. Megan Piper. McCarthy splits her time between developing her own tobacco-control research program and assisting with ongoing UW-CTRI research projects and manuscripts. McCarthy comes to UW-CTRI …

US Interagency Committee Discusses Cessation

Above: Dr. Michael Fiore speaks at the US Interagency Committee on Smoking and Health meeting near the US Capitol in Washington, DC. The Interagency Committee on Smoking and Health (ICSH) met at the Hubert H. Humphrey Building near the US Capitol in Washington, DC on May 31 to discuss the state of tobacco control and …

More Hospitals Help Inpatients Quit Smoking

In an editorial recently published in The Joint Commission Journal on Quality and Patient Safety, UW-CTRI Director Dr. Michael Fiore and UW-CTRI Outreach Director Rob Adsit wrote about their optimism that more hospital staff will seize the opportunity to help inpatients quit tobacco use. Approximately 20% of 3,705 hospitals are now reporting their performance on the tobacco …

UW-CTRI Director Wins National Award

UW-CTRI Director Dr. Michael Fiore is a recipient of the 2016 Alfred Ochsner Award for his contributions to helping people quit tobacco use and live longer, healthier lives. Dr. Ramaswamy Govindan also received the award, which comes with a medal and plaque.The Ochsner Award is named in honor of Doctor Alton Ochsner, co-founder of the Ochsner Clinic …

Tim Baker Accepts Ove Ferno Award at 2016 SRNT Meeting in Chicago

UW-CTRI Research Director Dr. Tim Baker received the 2016 Ove Ferno Award at the 2016 annual meeting of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco (SRNT) at the Grand Sheraton Hotel in Chicago. The award honors scientists who have made groundbreaking advances in clinical research. It recognizes those who have made a significant impact on the …

UW-CTRI Staff Present 11 Times at SRNT Conference in Chicago

UW-CTRI staff presented four speeches and seven posters at the 2016 annual conference of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco (SRNT) at the Sheraton Grand Hotel in downtown Chicago. The closest thing to a “rock star” atmosphere was at the SRNT awards ceremony, when UW-CTRI Research Director Dr. Tim Baker received the 2016 Ove …

Wisconsin Medicaid Now Covers the Nicotine Lozenge and Mini-Lozenge

For the first time, Wisconsin Medicaid now covers all seven FDA-approved medications to help people quit tobacco use. As of February 1, 2016, Wisconsin Medicaid added coverage for the nicotine lozenge and mini-lozenge. FDA-approved tobacco cessation medications include: Studies have shown that combining the nicotine patch with the nicotine lozenge can give smokers a terrific …

UW-CTRI Launches Study Offering 3 Medications to Each Participant

From left: Dave Fraser, Madeline Oguss, McKenzie Hensen, and Paul Kohn are among the UW-CTRI staff members working on the new “3 Medications Study” to help participants quit smoking. UW-CTRI is recruiting patients for a new pilot study that offers 3 quit-smoking medications to every participant (with no placebo). Funded by an R35 grant from …